Window Tint

[The Critic]

Had the windows tinted on my truck.

3M Crystalline 70% - front windshield and front side windows

3M Ceramic IR 35% - rear side windows and rear windshield.

Surprisingly, the rear windows metered at 9.7% after applying 3M Ceramic IR 35%. The spec sheet shows this film to have a VLT of 45% despite being called a 35% film. Glad I did not go any darker.

I am also a bit surprised by how dark the front side windows and front windshield appear with Crystalline 70%. The first two photos were taken in indirect light at 6pm while the 3rd picture was taken in very strong sunlight. I think posts saying that 70% film is unnoticeable is definitely not true. Perhaps the weird hue and color of 3M Crystalline is also causing the glass to appear darker?

Regardless I am very happy with the heat rejection and the overall appearance of the truck. The truck stays incredibly cool even after being parked outside all day.

 

[PorBoy]

Very nicely done...

 

[brian42]

The rear windows come from the factory with 20% and I know the front are tinted too but I'm not sure the %.

I'm not sure if there is any specific equation to calculate final tint when you layer it but if you have 20% of something to start with (e.g. light penetration) then 35% of that would be 7%. That's not too far off from the ~10% you have.

 

[shurik74]

I'm also in CA... I always tint rear doors & rear window 5% over whatever factory is and 35% front. This time I went with 50% on front doors and regretted after two trips during 100+ degrees sunny days. I went back to tint shop and changed front doors to 35% and decided to do windshield 50%. Night and day, should've done this from the beginning. My dashboard never gets hot anymore, just warm.

My shop use Rayno S7 ceramic film.

 

[The Critic]

I'm also in CA... I always tint rear doors & rear window 5% over whatever factory is and 35% front. This time I went with 50% on front doors and regretted after two trips during 100+ degrees sunny days. I went back to tint shop and changed front doors to 35% and decided to do windshield 50%. Night and day, should've done this from the beginning. My dashboard never gets hot anymore, just warm.

My shop use Rayno S7 ceramic film.

How much did your shop charge you for the entire job? From the specs, Rayno S7 is fairly comparable to the 3M Ceramic IR.

 

[shurik74]

How much did your shop charge you for the entire job? From the specs, Rayno S7 is fairly comparable to the 3M Ceramic IR.

cost me $470... windshield is not cheap

 

[The Critic]

cost me $470... windshield is not cheap

Including the windshield? That is cheap.

My cost for the windshield alone was $350 using 3M Crystalline. Using their normal ceramic film for the windshield would have been $180.

 

[brian42]

Is there any kind of distortion looking through the windshield tint?

The windshield is a big reason for the cabin heat but I'm hesitant to do it for fear that it will ruin my crystal clear undistorted view through the glass.

 

[shurik74]

Including the windshield? That is cheap.

My cost for the windshield alone was $350 using 3M Crystalline. Using their normal ceramic film for the windshield would have been $180.

Well... I'm a long time customer, gave me a good discount. I was told windshield alone they charged me $220

Is there any kind of distortion looking through the windshield tint?

The windshield is a big reason for the cabin heat but I'm hesitant to do it for fear that it will ruin my crystal clear undistorted view through the glass.

The only what I would say is more visible now is a reflection of dashboard, I guess I just need to get used too.

 

[shurik74]

Here is front 35% with windshield 50% under direct sun, not dark at all..

 

[The Critic]

Is there any kind of distortion looking through the windshield tint?

The windshield is a big reason for the cabin heat but I'm hesitant to do it for fear that it will ruin my crystal clear undistorted view through the glass.

No distortion, but the outlines of the dash become more visible due to the reflective nature of the film.

 

[The Critic]

Here is front 35% with windshield 50% under direct sun, not dark at all..

View attachment 62350

That picture must have been taken in direct sunlight. I am curious how yours looks in indirect sun because my Crystalline 70% looks a lot darker than that.

This is how mine looks in direct sun:

 

[Dogpatch]

I did 20% 3M tint to my front door windows. Almost a perfect match to stock rear tint. It’s a very slight difference in colour from the inside as the rear windows are tinted glass, but for an add-on, I’m pretty happy.

Before...



After...

 

[E.Hands]

Is there one tint manufacture that has agreed better heat reduction than any of the rest?

 

[shurik74]

I did 20% 3M tint to my front door windows. Almost a perfect match to stock rear tint. It’s a very slight difference in colour from the inside as the rear windows are tinted glass, but for an add-on, I’m pretty happy.

Looks awesome! I wish I could do the same in California

 

[The Critic]

Is there one tint manufacture that has agreed better heat reduction than any of the rest?

For the longest time, 3M Crystalline was the benchmark. But newer products such as Formulaone Stratos and Xpel Prime XR Plus (I heard this is relabeled Global QDP Ceramic) are offering similar performance but with a more neutral/natural color. Pricing is still very similar though.

 

[Dogpatch]

My installer, who does the lions share of tint installs in our area (even referred jobs from other graphics companies) said 3M is still the best product to use. I went with his recommendation.

 

[The Critic]

Just wanted to post up a picture of the two films. The lighter film on the board is the Crystalline 70 and the darker prices are the Ceramic IR 35 (45% VLT). I would not consider the Crystalline 70% to be “colorless,” it is definitely noticeable on the windshield so beware.

Also, this is a picture of the front windshield around sunset. The bluish hue looks pretty neat but you can definitely see the tint. If you are concerned about tint laws, I would avoid.